Sharon Drew Morgen

August 27, 2009

I'm keen on Sharon Drew Morgen's approach to listening to a buyer's systems issues - the issues they face in socialising and incorporating a potential change in their organisation - as opposed to only listening for opportunities to sell your solution.

There is another form of listening necessary to actually help buyers address their off-line conversations so they can actually have help garnering buy-in to make a purchase.

Note that this is NOT SALES, but a different activity that needs to be added to the front end of the sales process as if it were a different language.

It’s a very different listening: You’re listening to serve as a guide and to facilitate the route without traveling it yourself. You are actually leading them through change. They can’t buy anything until they line up these internal issues anyway – it might as well be with you on their Team. Just remember that this guidance is not about their need!
So before listening for the DETAILS of need, sellers must listen for the SYSTEM that buyers live in to help them manage the behind-the-scenes elements that must agree to add a new solution.

This also applies to how to engage with companies to develop and implement social media strategies, as these require heavy socialisation and often considerable change management.